LP7: Drones

[Alec Ferris]

Part of me hopes they take their 'end of days' thing to the extreme with the next album. I wont a proper dark concept album.

 

Hence my Gibson suggestions- the Sprawl books in particular allude to all kinds of apocalyptic wars conducted both in-and-outside of "The Matrix" and AIs-becoming-sentient stuff that was far more intricate than the likes of The Matrix and Terminator series'. Plus "Screaming Fist" would be a good title for a really aggressive electronic-but-heavy song

 

I guess we all do. Thing is, I was sort of hoping T2L would be that album:rolleyes:

 

I'd already been burnt on that with TR thanks to Q and NME playing up the apocalyptic aspects.

 

I'd like a song structured like some of Isis' final work- the sort that opens explosively and then segues between aggressive and more atmospheric stuff. Or like Parabola by Tool. Maybe some instrumentals as well would be cool.

[Jazzthief]

I don't want a three-piece album Electronics rule way too much to remove them just for the sake of being a three-piece.

[serpentsatellite]

Now, I know Matt's opinions probably fluctuate daily and interviews are just a snapshot, but he's several times recently expressed that he doesn't believe our future is going into that sort of sci fi VR/space travel direction, so if there's more "futuristic" subjects, I would bet on more a slow apocalypse, dystopia type direction, which we've already seen in some T2L songs.

 

I do wonder about the progression in themes though, which loosely have gone from rebellion in TR to a more hopeless outlook of society in T2L.

 

Maybe it will just be an album of love songs for real this time.

I really don't care, as long as it sounds good.

[Raiga Kagekami]

Maybe it will just be an album of love songs for real this time.

I really don't care, as long as it sounds good.

 

I'm still open to the idea that Matt's going to write something related to his sheep.

[FabriPav]

"The Animal Farm"

[Raiga Kagekami]

"The Animal Farm"

 

Oh god, why have I not thought of that

[serpentsatellite]

Now I'm just thinking about the German animal brothel someone posted about.

[Peter.]

"The Animal Farm"

 

nah, they won't do Orwell again.

 

or will they?

[Jazzthief]

nah, they won't do Orwell again.

 

or will they?

 

Fuck books.

[scottycydonia]

I think they will go back to having a proper rock album and im looking forward to it. I would like a couple of acoustic songs and some really heavy ones to back them up. But more than anything I would like matt to start writing songs about certain subjects rather than just anti-government songs for the sake of it. Look at absolution... TOADA, TSP, B&H, AP and SS all great songs about subjects that can be related to the album title and with a bit of thought to them.

[Alec Ferris]

Now, I know Matt's opinions probably fluctuate daily and interviews are just a snapshot, but he's several times recently expressed that he doesn't believe our future is going into that sort of sci fi VR/space travel direction, so if there's more "futuristic" subjects, I would bet on more a slow apocalypse, dystopia type direction, which we've already seen in some T2L songs.

 

I do wonder about the progression in themes though, which loosely have gone from rebellion in TR to a more hopeless outlook of society in T2L.

 

Maybe it will just be an album of love songs for real this time.

I really don't care, as long as it sounds good.

 

Might I point out that it's perfectly possible for a sci-fi future with VR and space travel to be a dystopia? It's not a matter of you must have a Star Trek future or else it must be The Road. I just feel we'd get more interesting music out of an album based on that mixture. Gibson's books give you everything you could need for that apart from a tangible government. Plus the more I go through Neuromancer and Count Zero, the more stuff is screaming out to be a song title.

[serpentsatellite]

Fuck books.

 

That sounds like it involves paper cuts.

 

Might I point out that it's perfectly possible for a sci-fi future with VR and space travel to be a dystopia? It's not a matter of you must have a Star Trek future or else it must be The Road. I just feel we'd get more interesting music out of an album based on that mixture. Gibson's books give you everything you could need for that apart from a tangible government. Plus the more I go through Neuromancer and Count Zero, the more stuff is screaming out to be a song title.

 

Yeah, you're right. I just haven't read a lot of near future stuff that does technology well, and I think that's why they stick to either full on The Road, or far future "the apocalypse happened after technological advances" stuff.

 

In mediums like music where I tend to listen to it for more emotionally involving reasons (or at least different reasons than I watch movies and read books for) I tend to favor stuff that reflects more on the now.

I don't feel connected to the more speculative stuff, emotionally, although I definitely do intellectually.

 

So, for Muse, the fears about the Internet, or where technology will take us works for me, but going much farther than that probably wouldn't.

 

Do you feel the music would lose something if they went full on concept like that?

That would definitely be my biggest fear, and why I wouldn't really want them to do it.

[Peter.]

I don't feel connected to the more speculative stuff, emotionally, although I definitely do intellectually.

 

My problem is that I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to connect emotionally to songs Muse puts out in the future with that purpose (to evoke an emotional connection). Their personal-themed songs from recent releases are just way too cheesy and cliched as far as lyrics go for me to properly enjoy them. Their recent "speculative" songs tend to be far more interesting.

 

Do you feel the music would lose something if they went full on concept like that?

 

I think going for an all-out concept album would do them good, it would help them keep their sound more consistent if they kept a specific theme throughout the album.

Then again, consistency always comes seconds to me after individual song quality. But perhaps sticking to a theme might also improve the songs, who knows? It's all speculation really.

[Alec Ferris]

...for Muse, the fears about the Internet, or where technology will take us works for me, but going much farther than that probably wouldn't.

 

Do you feel the music would lose something if they went full on concept like that?

That would definitely be my biggest fear, and why I wouldn't really want them to do it.

 

That's essentially where the likes of Neuromancer go, but in less obvious ways than robots-will-nuke-us themes. I think that a full concept would do them good, as it would give them some sort of grounding. You can still have plenty of variety, but I like the idea of a core aesthetic running throughout the album a la Year Zero. It wouldn't constrain their ambitions as such, but it could help to channel them more rather than just going all over the place.

[Domaaa]

I'd honestly love a collaberation with Reznor.

[Alec Ferris]

I'd honestly love a collaboration with Reznor.

 

Join the club

[Domaaa]

Join the club

 

Has so much potential, if they could somehow fuse together his awesomeness and lyrical skill with Muse's technicalities (don't know where that came from) then I'd just

[FabriPav]

Lyrics is not really the thing people want a Muse+NIN collaboration for. I'd say most of Trent's lyrics are worse than at least half of Matt's.

[Alec Ferris]

Lyrics is not really the thing people want a Muse+NIN collaboration for. I'd say most of Trent's lyrics are worse than at least half of Matt's.

 

I wouldn't say they're bad, but I agree. I reckon there's plenty of potential for interesting stuff musically though. Some kind of dubsteppish, murky industrial stuff, with subtly spiky guitar parts. Preferably titled "Blade Runner Country" if we're going properly into sci-fi dystopia.

[FabriPav]

I wouldn't say they're bad, but I agree. I reckon there's plenty of potential for interesting stuff musically though.

Oh yeah definitely. Actually Trent is what they'd really need as a full-time producer.

[Alec Ferris]

Oh yeah definitely. Actually Trent is what they'd really need as a full-time producer.

 

Yeah. Partly because he's clearly good at establishing an aesthetic for an album which ties it together well.

[kojane]

Man, Trent producing the next album would be insane. I'd love it

[Bumpypotato]

A Trent produced Muse album could be great, but it could also quite easily be shit.

 

In general, they need a producer who focuses their sound, pushes them musically, but still let's them breath and keep their distinctive characteristics, i.e, genre shifting. I think a double album strucutured like The Fragile would work for them, in the sense that its length allowed NIN to keep a consistent sound throughout, whilst experimenting wih various different genres and ideas.

[Alec Ferris]

A Trent produced Muse album could be great, but it could also quite easily be shit.

 

In general, they need a producer who focuses their sound, pushes them musically, but still let's them breath and keep their distinctive characteristics, i.e, genre shifting. I think a double album strucutured like The Fragile would work for them, in the sense that its length allowed NIN to keep a consistent sound throughout, whilst experimenting wih various different genres and ideas.

 

I reckon a producer like Matt Bayles could be good for them. He's worked on concept albums with Mastodon and Isis so he clearly knows how to give an album a consistent but not homogenous sound.

 

A future-dystopia would offer some good avenues for their electronic dabblings as well. I'd like some kind of sub-bassy, gritty instrumental piece with slashing guitars. Like a rock version of some of Burial's recent stuff, with that decayed, subterranean aspect.

[Bumpypotato]

I reckon a producer like Matt Bayles could be good for them. He's worked on concept albums with Mastodon and Isis so he clearly knows how to give an album a consistent but not homogenous sound.

 

A future-dystopia would offer some good avenues for their electronic dabblings as well. I'd like some kind of sub-bassy, gritty instrumental piece with slashing guitars. Like a rock version of some of Burial's recent stuff, with that decayed, subterranean aspect.

 

I've never really been a fan of Isis' or Mastodon's production, but I don't know how much of that is intentional. Consistent but not homogenous is what they should be aiming for with Album Seven though.

 

Yeah, that would be cool. I want to see them focus on working as a three piece, but a few more experimental tracks would be great.